


We Call It A Demolecularizing Multiphasic Teleportation Beam

by havocthecat



Category: Eureka, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-11
Updated: 2007-07-11
Packaged: 2017-10-02 12:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havocthecat/pseuds/havocthecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoe Carter pops up on Atlantis.  Literally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Call It A Demolecularizing Multiphasic Teleportation Beam

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](http://community.livejournal.com/eurekathon/4517.html) on LJ.

"Who's this?" Rodney dragged a sullen blonde girl into Elizabeth's office. "And what was she doing making the control chair light up like a fireworks display?"

Elizabeth glanced up from her desk, where she was looking at a page full of Ancient and making notes as she chatted with John. She raised one eyebrow.

"It wasn't a fireworks display." Zoe tugged her arm away and crossed them as she stood and glared at Rodney. "It was the periodic table of the elements."

"Really?" Rodney rolled his eyes. "I never would've guessed that." He pointed at himself. "Hello, genius astrophysicist here! I learned the periodic table of the elements while you were struggling with the alphabet."

"Given how old you were when I was learning the alphabet, that's pretty sad," snapped Zoe.

"Girl's got a point there, McKay," drawled John, who was slouched in a seat in front of Elizabeth's desk.

Elizabeth tapped her headset. "Major Lorne? I need to see you in my office." She tapped it again, and then leaned forward, elbows resting on her desk, as she studied Zoe. "Bring Dr. Deacon along."

Instead of meeting Elizabeth's sharp gaze, Zoe shifted and glanced around the room. "Nice place," she said. "But the primitive look? Kinda went out a while ago."

"I'm quite fond of it regardless," said Elizabeth. "Who are you, and what brings you to Atlantis?"

"My name is Zoe Carter, I'm from Eureka, and how I got here?" Zoe shrugged. "Fargo."

"Excuse me?" asked Rodney. "Fargo as in North Dakota?"

Zoe sent him a withering glare. "Fargo as the biggest dork in the world, purveyor of five million experiments that never work, and also the same moron that tripped and accidentally pushed me into his demolecularizing multiphasic teleportation beam."

"Demolecularizing multiphasic teleportation beam?" Rodney huffed. "_We_ call it a Stargate. Though that sounds more like Asgard and Ancient technology combined."

"_We_ call it a demolecularizing multiphasic teleportation beam," said Zoe, glaring as she imitated Rodney's snide tones. "Especially when _we_ get stuck writing book reports on it. God, I'd better get a late pass for being beamed to wherever I am." She glanced around the room again. "So where am I again?"

"Atlantis," said John. "Lemme get this straight. You're in _high school_?"

"Ma'am," said Lorne, standing in Elizabeth's doorway. A tall man, with dark brown hair set in twists, and dusky brown skin wearing coveralls stood behind him. "I've been showing Dr. Deacon around."

"Zoe?" Henry stepped in front of Lorne, who followed him into the room. "What are you doing here?"

Zoe turned to look at Henry. Her eyes lit up and she almost tackled him in a hug. "Henry! Oh my God, you're here? Allison and Dad went crazy when you vanished like that." She stepped back and shrugged. "Fargo accidentally knocked me into the path of his teleportation beam thing. And, lucky me, here I am in sunny Atlantis. Isn't it supposed to be, like, underwater and full of mermaids?"

"Somebody's been reading too many comic books lately," said Rodney.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong--" started Zoe, glaring at the astrophysicist.

"All right," Elizabeth cut in firmly. "It seems our new scientist from Eureka knows our victim of science experiments gone awry."

"You know about Eureka?" asked Zoe. She frowned. "It's, like, insanely classified."

"I know about it, and I know it's classified, as is Atlantis," said Elizabeth. "Now, given that you're not supposed to be here, and we're utilizing power conservation procedures, I'm going to send you home via the Daedalus. They're due to arrive here later today.” She smirked. “I'm certain Colonel Caldwell can make sure your academic studies aren't interrupted. Dr. Novak and Hermiod would be pleased to tutor you during the six-week trip."

"Elizabeth!" Rodney threw up his hands. "Little Miss Annoying has the ATA gene! Control chair? Lighting up? Hello?"

"She's also a teenager, Rodney," said John. "Not like Atlantis is any place for a kid."

"Yeah, because Eureka's _so_ low-risk," muttered Zoe.

"The Daedalus has arrived." Chuck stood in Elizabeth's doorway. "Colonel Caldwell is radioing to say there's a Sheriff Carter on board requesting a meeting with you and Dr. Deacon."

"Oh, shit," said Zoe, her hand slapping against her forehead.

"Language, young lady," warned Henry.

"Carter?" asked Rodney. "But he said Sheriff Carter, not Colonel Carter."

"Sheriff Carter's my _dad_," said Zoe. "We’ve got a cousin, Sam, in the Air Force, but Dad says Grandpa and Uncle Jacob stopped talking when he was a kid."

"How did the most smartass kid I've ever met end up as part of the most classified family in two galaxies?" asked Rodney plaintively.

"Because she and her dad have a nose for trouble like you wouldn't believe." Henry looked over at Zoe like he wanted to ground her.

"Hey, I don't know what suddenly got between you and my dad, but don't start it on me over it," she said defensively, arms upraised as she took a step back.

"Zoe, thank God." Jack Carter shoved through the room, and enveloped Zoe in a hug. "When I found out about the accident and how far you'd gone—" He shook his head. "Thank God I was already on my way to Atlantis to find Henry."

"I'm fine, Dad." Zoe pulled back and tried to look exasperated, but didn’t entirely succeed. Her relief was obvious. "Just a minor glitch in the space-time continuum." Her laugh was hollow. "Happens every week."

"She lit the control chair up like a Christmas tree!" exclaimed Rodney. "Minor glitch in the space-time continuum, my ass!"

"And you are?" asked Jack. He was clearly annoyed as he glanced over at Rodney.

"Dr. Rodney McKay." Rodney drew himself up. "Resident genius."

"He do that a lot?" Jack asked, zeroing in on John.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, I'd believe it all right." Jack turned to Henry. "We need to talk, man."

"I have nothing to say to you, Jack." Henry's face was set in a steely, cold mask.

"The _hell_ you don't!" Jack crossed his arms and looked squarely at Henry. Henry stared back, frowning.

"Can I leave now?" asked Zoe, huffing. "Oh my God, Dad, alien galaxy!"

"Need I remind everyone that this is _my_office?" asked Elizabeth, rising. "That said, I think we need to give Sheriff Carter and Dr. Deacon a bit of privacy."

***

"So what's this all about?" asked John, leaning against the wall and looking over at Zoe.

Zoe shrugged. "Beats me," she said.

"John, there's one thing you need to remember, and Zoe needs to learn," said Elizabeth.

"What's that?" asked John.

Elizabeth smirked. "My office isn't particularly soundproof."

***

"You killed Kim." Henry stood in the center of Elizabeth's office and glared at Jack. "Jack, you stood there and you stopped me from saving Kim's life. How could you do that to me? Hell, how could you do that to _her_?"

"There was no other way, Henry." Jack shook his head. "If you'd saved her, four years later, the world was gonna end. You think I _wanted_ to let her die?"

"I don't care." Henry's frown deepened, and his face flushed darker. "You think I care about the rest of the world after losing her twice?"

"I care!" snapped Jack. "I cared so damn much that I came back in time _four years_. My daughter was valedictorian. Allison and I were _married_. We were going to have a baby. But, no, the world was tearing itself apart."

Henry paused, the realization dawning in his expression. "Jack, I'm--" he started.

"What, you're sorry?" asked Jack. His face was tight. "You're not the only one who lost someone here, Henry. Not by a long shot."

"I know." Henry let out a deep, slow breath. "I've never loved anyone else. Just her."

"Yeah, I got that." Jack scrubbed one hand through his hair. "I didn't just come here to take Zoe home. Eureka needs you back. Nathan and Allison both agree."

"I could do good work here," said Henry. "They're working on understanding technology at least as old as the Artifact, Jack."

"And maybe you could find a way to save Kim that doesn't have a nasty side effect like destroying the world?" Jack's mouth twisted into something like a grin. "Can't say I wouldn't do the same if I were you. Still, do me a favor? Don't leave _Stark_ as the resident genius?"

Henry nodded once, a small smile forming on his lips. "I can see why that would bother you."

"And Allison. Don't forget how much that would get Allison mad." Jack shrugged. "We need you."

"I'll think about it." Henry glanced down into the control room where Elizabeth and John were watching as Zoe and Rodney bickered. "But I can't promise anything."

"All I can ask, man," said Jack. "Wanna come watch me ground my daughter for the next five zillion years?"

"Sure," said Henry. He moved through the door. "But I don't think it wasn't her fault."

"She got teleported to _another galaxy_," said Jack, following Henry out into the hallway. "I'm gonna find a way to ground Fargo too."

"You're just saying that to tempt me into coming back," said Henry.

"It working?" asked Jack hopefully, turning and walking backwards.

"Not yet." Henry smirked. "Keep trying."

\--end--


End file.
